The bottom line: We fell in love with Princess Cruise!!
Embarkation
5 out of 5
The embarkation itself was really a piece of cake and took literally 5-10 minutes from start to finish!!! I think it was very helpful that we had completed all of the requirements in the Medallion application before leaving home. We also had a printout of all our documentation (courtesy of our awesome travel agent).
Very noteworthy, the embarkation was so quick, had time for delicious Pizza at Alfredo’s while waiting for our cabin to be ready.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
All of the facilities we tried were beyond amazing!! Our specialty resaurants were Alfredo's (number one), the noodles and the hamburger and hot dog grill on the Lido Deck, plus the ice cream (Swirl) stand as well as the international coffee. I had at least one or 2 ice cream cones and 4 delicious lattes every day!!
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
The outdoor movies, music, and fitness centers were very nice, and I only experienced them from a distance, well because this was Alaska and very chilly. However, there were still some that braved the elements and seemed to enjoy them all!
I also enjoyed watching the ship get underway from the dock. Although this is a huge ship, the advanced technology onboard enabled her to get underway without the use of tugboats. I guess the simple things in life amaze me LOL
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Everything was awesome because of the planning and efforts by Arrmando, the cruise director, and his amazing staff!!
The shows and games, especially Deal or no deal, were great and not to be missed!
Unfortunately one of my hearing aids decided to take a vacation and conk out on me on the 3rd day of the cruise so I wasn't able to enjoy the shows any longer, However, my wife still did!!
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Now, this is what makes this cruise stand out! The staff were 2nd to none and exceeded any and all expectations. From the Restaurants to the buffet, to our cabin Steward, and especially Philayo, my special ice cream server, the skillful barristers, and most definitely, the absolutely BEST cruise director on the planet, Arrmando (I am not biased).
If there were any disappointments, it probably would be that we were not greeted with animals created by towels when we returned to our cabins each day. HA!
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Two words: Amazing and spotless!! Folks were continuously cleaning.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
We have personally thanked our travel agent for booking us in the perfect cabin, location, and exceptionally quiet. We absolutely loved our balcony, and although it was cold/chilly, we certainly felt we got our money's worth!!
We were surprised (pleasantly) by the roomy closet and the bathroom, especially the shower!
Ship tip
Take the time to get familiar with the Medallion application prior to the cruise, as well as to complete all onboarding requirements before leaving home. Having a printout copy of all documentation was also very helpful (Thank you, travel agent).
Because of our schedule change after losing Skagway, our time in Ketchikan was significantly reduced. We decided on the lumberjack show which was awesome. We had so much fun! I think this is a must-have excursion for everyone … at least once! After the show, we walked around on a sort of self-sightseeing tour and completed our stay by shopping at a couple of shops near the cruise ship. Just as in Juneau, we had a great shopping experience!!
We had an amazing time in Juneau and was everything we had hoped it would be! So many choices for excursions, and we decided to take the whale-watching tour. It was relaxing and adventurous at the same time as we were able to find whales while enjoying the company and discussions with the other passengers. After the excursion, we did some shopping, which we found to be very reasonable!
We actually arrived a day early and spent overnight at Captain Cook Hotel in Anchorage.
We took the Alaska Railway train to Whittier to catch the ship, which was the absolute best thing to do! The scenery and especially the company of the other passengers made this a must-do!!!
Princess Cruise took care of everything, our airport transfer, hotel, hotel transfer, the Train to Whittier, and transfer to the ship. They made everything so special and EASY for us!!
Once we got to Whittier, the embarkation itself was really a piece of cake and took literally 5-10 minutes from start to finish!!! I think it was very helpful that we had completed all of the requirements in the Medallion application before leaving home. We also had a printout of all our documentation (courtesy of our awesome travel agent).
Very noteworthy, the embarkation was so quick, had time for delicious Pizza at Alfredo’s while waiting for our cabin to be ready.
Our first day at sea was at Hubbard Bay. We began to think that Princess Cruise may have front-loaded our cruise with the absolute best of the best and perhaps the rest of the cruise will pale in comparison because HOLY SMOKE, the scenery was beyond ANYTHING we could have expected!! I ended up taking over 150 photos mostly from the comfort of our balcony!! Mother Nature is so beautiful!!!!! During this first day, we also started to explore the ship and take in some of the fantastic activities, which included a Veteran’s social/get-together. My wife and I are both retired U.S. Navy veterans, so we really appreciated Princess doing this and we enjoyed spending the time with our military brothers and sisters and listening to all those stories. Many of those stories would be referred to as “Sea Stories” in the Navy. Ask a sailor what a Sea Story is! LOL
Our second day at sea consisted of the entire day at Glacier Bay. Mother Nature made it perfectly clear that we truly had not seen anything yet! We were treated with one surprise after another, starting with a brown bear sighting along the shoreline during our transit. Once at Glacier Bay, Mother Nature sort of went on a bragging tour displaying all her beauty!
After leaving Glacier Bay, we were further treated by Sea lions lounging on small islands and even playing in the water alongside our ship.
We took a bus tour and visited Stanley Park and Grantville Island while killing time waiting for our flight home from a cruise. Not a location we would want to visit again; crowded, and extremely expensive. We spent over $50 for a lunch consisting of simple fish and chips at a “hole in the wall”. Despite the crowds, we found just 1 bathroom 🚻 with long lines and not very sanitary.
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